15 Date Ideas Under $10!

Dating is incredibly important in every relationship. My husband and I definitely need to do it more often. So we have been thinking of date ideas that are $10 or less! It's winter now, so some ideas are related to that. Put away your phone and...

1. Go get ice cream and walk through the park
2. Drive through neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights
3. At home game night!
4. Make a treat and leave it as a surprise for neighbors
5. Use up the last of gift cards
6. Go to a restaurant...just for dessert!
7. Night in! - who says you have to go somewhere? Dim the lights, light the fire, turn on a comedy, etc.
8. Check out a local farmers market/fair/museum
9. Check out some "how to" books from the library and learn how to do something new together - massages, cooking, etc.
10. Old school video game night
11. Pick a theme - Italian, oldies, comedy, etc - everything during the date must match that theme...and all be under $10!
12. Go to the dollar theater
13. Picnic lunch/dinner
14. Spread a blanket outside and just relax together!
15. Dinner in bed, or some other random place in your house

How to Save on... Pet Supplies

As you may know, we have a bunch of furry friends and not so furry friends in our home.

Meet our "Zoo":

We have a 7 year-old red-nose pit bull named Hera. She was originally my husband's dog as he has had her since she was a puppy (long before I even met him). She's a lazy butt, but loves to roughhouse with daddy (my husband!). She is trained to know German commands and is a good listener most of the time.

Foo is my oldest cat. He's only 3. I adopted him the month before I graduated high school on a complete whim. He was only 8 weeks old and was the cutest little boy. He's a mama's boy for sure. He mozies around the house finding comfy places to nap. His favorites are our closet and the arm of the couch where he can watch the fish. He loves to cuddle but is scared around strangers. He brings us home dead birds! Yuck!

Our aquarium came next. We've only had it since Valentines Day. Yes, I wanted an aquarium for Valentines! Judge all you want ;) It's 20 gallons. We got everything for it from PetSmart and are very happy with it. We've gone through a few fish... I guess we're still learning.

Esther is the baby we adopted for Easter. She was a present to me from my husband. She's 5 months old now. She's a domesticated lynx mix we think... google it. She loves to cuddle and can't resist sleeping in bed with us (and how can we say no to her cute face!?)

 Baby feet! How could I resist adding a picture of that adorableness!

She loves to play and we know she would be an awesome mouser if we ever decide to let her outside.


That's all. Nothing too crazy. Although it would be easier to handle all the pets with more room. I can't wait until we buy a house in the fall!

Having so many pets can be expensive. Each month we buy dog food, cat food, cat litter, random cat toys if any have been destroyed, and fish supplies/new fish. We used to not have to buy litter because Foo won't use a little box and likes to go outside. The kitten poops like what feels like a million times a day so...


It adds up, but I've found a few ways to save some money on pet supplies!

How to Save on...

Pet Supplies

• Shop around to find out where the prices are generally the best - I get pet food at Walmart, along with litter, but fish supplies at PetSmart or Petco.
• Shopping at these cheaper stores, use coupons when possible - they do come out often.
• Grocery stores and specialty pet stores generally have higher prices.
• It's okay to spend a little extra money for better quality product.
• Example: 
•  My dog is on Iams Healthy Weight formula - it's around $20 for a 30lb. bag. She doesn't eat it too fast because it has large chunks (she used to eat too fast and make herself throw up...making for an unhappy mama!) and I think she gets fuller faster. - It's also not chock full of fillers, like corn.
• My adult cat is on Iams original cat food. He eats it the best and keeps him full - we don't go through as much, compared to cheaper kinds like Special Kitty.
• My kitten is on Iams Kitten Food - It's all real meat products and generally healthier for her. Since she's a kitten, we want to start her out on the healthy stuff.
• Cat litter - the cheap stuff is VERY dusty. It makes me sneeze like crazy and I can't imagine how it affects my cats - plus the baby is getting over a respiratory infection.
• Fish products are worth spending more money for high quality products! - Anything cheap we bought flat-out did not work!
• Dogs and cats seem to eat less food if it is higher quality that keeps them full! - Plus it makes them healthier.
• Canned food adds up to be much more expensive than dry. The benefits of each depends, but if you pet is okay with dry food, stick with that.
• Sometimes it's okay to give your pet a different kind of food, to match deals. If your pet can tolerate it, then there's no reason for an occasional change. Switching food regularly can cause digestive problems. 
• Do not overfeed! Not only will your pet be fat and sad, they will be unhealthy and you are wasting so much pet food and wasting your money. 
• Buy dry pet food in larger quantities. It comes out to be cheaper. The only exception to this is if your pet won't go through a large bag of food before expiration or it going stale. 
• Keep pet food in a cool and dry place, such as a tote. This keeps the food from going bad and also keeps other animals out, along with keeping pets from scratching through the food bags. 
• Sometimes buying items online is cheaper! -I have found cheap but high quality live aquarium plants online, other aquarium products, cat supplies - scratching posts, litter boxes
• You pet does not need top of the line products... The electronic mouse? Oh please. 

*Remember to use your smarts when it comes to caring for your pets! You should know your pet well enough to be able to care for them successfully. Some people might be against Iams, but this is what works for us and is a reasonable price. Remember that just because sometime is cheap, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the safest for your pet.

Thanks for stopping by!

Do you have anything to add to the list?

How do you save on pet supplies?

Other comments?      

Would you guys like to see a post on my reviews about pet products I love? Let me know!

Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals: Classic Pigs-in-a-Blanket

We've all been there. It's just "one of those days". This leads to that and in a blink of an eye it's 6 o' clock or if you are anything like me, it's 9 o' clock... and you're rushing to come up with something quick and easy to make for dinner. 

Here's a bonus, this one is cheap!


A good ole classic. The price range on this meal can set you anywhere from $3-$8 ish, depending on the price of each ingredient and the brand. That $3 can serve 8!

 Serves 1-8

  What you need:

Package of hotdogs (any brand) $.88-$5

Refrigerated crescent rolls (any brand) $1.99-$3

Cheese slices (optional, any brand) minimal amount

1. Prepare slices of cheese:

Cut into long strips.

2. Prepare hotdogs:

Cut a slit into each hotdog...hotdog style ;)

Add cheese slice into slit.

3. Roll out crescent rolls.

4. Roll 1-2 crescent rolls around each prepared hotdog.

5. Place on greased cookie sheet.

6. Cook at 350F for about 20 minutes, 

or until dough is golden brown and hotdog is cooked through. 

Be careful as cheese will be very hot.

ENJOY!

The price of the hotdogs makes a big difference in the total price of the meal. Here, I can find hotdogs for as little as $.88 for a pack of 8! They're decent quality too, but my dear husband's favorite hotdogs are Nathan's brand. They're a little on the spendy side and so I don't prefer to buy them for that reason, but they're super yummy. 

I haven't noticed much of a difference between off-brand or other brand crescent rolls. I like to use two crescent rolls for each hotdog to cover up the hotdog and use up a full package of rolls for 4 hotdogs and use the leftover hotdogs at a later time. 

You can skip on the cheese, but we love cheese! The more cheese you use, the more ooey gooey they become...which is awesome. I buy the bricks of cheese and cut it myself to save on money. Just use your favorites! You can't beat the price of this meal. While it may not be the healthiest meal, you've got a few food groups in there ;)